Oswald
Oswald '(オズワルド ''Ozuwarudo), better known by his full title of '''Oswald the Shadow Knight, is one of the playable characters in Odin Sphere and the protagonist of the fourth book, The Black Sword. Character Overview Oswald is the adoptive son of Melvin, the Fairy Duke. Although he initially lived in Ringford and was allied with the Vanir, Oswald eventually went to live on his own after King Odin helped him escape the Netherworld, holding no true alliance to any country. During the Armageddon, it's revealed he's actually King Gallon's grandson through his father, Edgar. This not only makes him a Prince of Titania, but King Edmund's nephew, Cornelius's cousin, and the true heir to the kingdom's throne. Per an agreement with Odin, he also becomes Gwendolyn's husband following her banishment and the two have an unknown number of children following the Armageddon, as they are the Crownless Lords meant to repopulate the world. Appearance Oswald has a very fair skin tone, with spiky white/platinum blond hair and purple eyes that become red whenever he uses his shadow powers. He has a slender yet muscular build and is somewhat shorter than his cousin Cornelius, although he's still taller than Gwendolyn, Mercedes, and Velvet. His armor is primarily black and silver in coloration and features many sharp points. This is most notable on his leg plating, with spear-like protrusions often being used to his advantage during combat. He has two silver shields on his chest that feature Ringford's emblem and, underneath his armor, he wears a suit that is enhanced by brown leather. When using his shadow powers, his appearance becomes considerably more demonic, as he is cloaked in darkness and his hands resemble claws. During a small part of Gwendolyn's story, he's seen in a much more casual outfit that consists of a white button-up shirt, black pants with silver stripes, and boots that reach up past his ankles. His shirt is partially unbuttoned in a manner that white bandages can be seen, as he is injured during this time. Personality Oswald is initially a very cold-hearted individual who was raised to become a war machine by Melvin. He blindly follows Melvin's orders regardless of what they are and frequently slaughters his enemies in cold blood. He noticeably wavers during his fight with Gwendolyn when they first encounter each other on the battlefield, as he had previously seen her during an espionage mission in Ragnanival. He does question Melvin's intentions at times, but still follows his orders due to him considering him a father figure. Unfortunately, his view of Melvin is shattered when he reveals that he never considered Oswald more than a tool and he becomes incredibly depressed for a time afterwards. After this revelation, Oswald becomes considerably more assertive and chooses to live for himself rather than for others (with the exception of Gwendolyn, who he displays loving affection to.) He absolutely despises people being treated like objects, expressing disgust to Odin at his manipulation and usage of Gwendolyn and going so far as to kill the Wise Men Skuldi when he mentions he used her as bait. Outside his more cold and distant traits, Oswald does frequently display the traits of a romantic and often speaks in long, emotional monologues when it comes to his feelings or expressing his love towards Gwendolyn. By the end of the story, he has shown to have become an incredibly positive person, as he outright tells Gwendolyn that they need to continue on after surviving the Armageddon. History (Pre-Game) Oswald was born as the only child of the banished Prince Edgar and his unnamed lover. King Gallon, fearing that Edgar might attempt to get revenge for his banishment, sent assassins to their house in the wilderness and killed him and his wife. Oswald, however, was saved by Melvin, who took him in and raised him as his son. He was raised to become a soldier and eventually acquired both the Belderiver and the Shadow Knight's cursed powers after Melvin made a contract with Odette, which he was initially not aware of. Story Coming soon! Relationships Melvin Until Melvin revealed his true feelings towards him, Oswald carried a deep adoration of his foster father and was willing to follow any order of his. Melvin, however, was more than willing to manipulate Oswald to achieve his goals and, while he didn't realize this, he did question his father's true intentions towards him a few times. After Melvin told him that he didn't see him as much more than a tool to become king, Oswald became broken and almost allowed himself to become Queen Odette's servant out of depression and a lack of will to live. The time he mentions Melvin to Gwendolyn in her story has him rather bitter towards him, although after his battle against King Gallon during the True End route, Oswald wonders if Melvin, at one point, actually did feel familial affection towards him. Brom Brom is shown early on to care for Oswald, showing a much more fatherly attitude towards him than Melvin did. Due to the curse the Belderiver has, he frequently expressed worry for Oswald's fate and attempted to dissuade him from using the sword before Melvin caught him and ordered him banished to the Netherworld. After he's rescued by Mercedes and upgrades her bow, he requests that he go see Oswald, as he found out he was still alive, and the two end up living together in the Abandoned Castle under friendly terms. It's unknown if Oswald feels any sorrow over Brom's death during the Armageddon, although that's likely the case since he and Gwendolyn were distraught over seemingly being the only survivors. Queen Odette Oswald was initially unaware of the contract Melvin had made with Odette and didn't properly meet her until he was taken to the Netherworld following Melvin's failed rebellion. He attempted to attack her when he first saw her, but due to the Belderiver's power coming from Odette, he was incapable of harming her. He almost willingly gives into her servitude after this, but is convinced by Odin otherwise after he fights him when he comes to collect crystals. After falling into the belief that Gwendolyn didn't return his love, he once again is taken to the Netherworld and becomes helpless to Odette's command, only for Gwendolyn to come in and rescue him from her clutches. King Odin While Odin was the one who returned him to the living realm after he was taken to the Netherworld the first time, Oswald soon found out about Odin's feelings towards Gwendolyn and would frequently snap at him for treating his own child as an object. When Odin is about to punish Gwendolyn over not giving him the Ring of Titrel, Oswald steps between them and expresses rage over him wanting to harm her. Overall, Oswald doesn't show much respect or admiration for Odin and is more often disgusted by him. Gwendolyn * Main article: Gwendolyn and Oswald Initially, Oswald and Gwendolyn were enemies on the opposing sides of the Cauldron War. Despite this, Oswald seemed to feel some degree of sympathy for her, as when he first saw her, she was heartbroken over her father ignoring the dress that she was wearing and instead chastising her for not being more like her sister. When they officially became acquainted during the battle that resulted in Griselda's death, Oswald does not kill her when he has the chance and instead tells her to leave. It was the vision of a bird in the Netherworld that made him think of Gwendolyn and gave him a reason to continue living and, even before waking her from her slumber, he found himself loving her deeply. Additionally, even though he could have woken her anytime he wanted, Oswald chose not to kiss Gwendolyn until he found out from Onyx that there was no spell on her that would force her to love him. Much of the later half of Gwendolyn's story has him wondering whether Gwendolyn loves him, even though there were instances such as when she saved him from being killed by Leventhan that proved she cared for him. When he found out that she gave away the Ring of Titrel to Odin, Oswald became depressed and was ultimately driven to suicide out of despair. Fortunately, Gwendolyn turned out to really love him and, after saving him from Odette, he expresses his undying affections to her. The two continue to live on together, even after the Armageddon destroyed the world. Myris Not much of Oswald's relationship with Myris is shown besides that they became housemates after Oswald came to the Abandoned Castle. He didn't show any resentment or indifference to her when she was protecting Gwendolyn and listened attentively when she told him how to wake her and about the supposed love spell on her. Other than that, he seems to be tended to by Myris in a similar manner that she does for Gwendolyn. King Onyx Given their mutual interest in Gwendolyn, Oswald shows a prominent disliking of Onyx. When he found out that Gwendolyn had been taken to the Fire Kingdom, Oswald storms Volkenon until he comes across Gwendolyn in the shrine, at which point he meets Onyx. After revealing that Gwendolyn had originally been promised to him and that he intends to keep her there, Onyx and Oswald end up fighting each other with Oswald coming out the victor. Oswald ends up laughing after he finds from the Inferno King that there was no love spell on Gwendolyn and offers that, if they drop the issue regarding her, he will come to his aid whenever he asks. Unfortunately when Leventhan starts terrorizing Volkenon, Onyx takes the opportunity to try and indirectly kill him so that he can still win Gwendolyn over. After this incident, the two don't canonically meet again. During the False End if Oswald is sent to fight Onyx, Oswald is shown to be in disbelief over the Vulcan's march and declares that, this time, he's not going to let Onyx live. Unfortunately, Onyx proves to be much stronger in this fight and, after provoking him into using his shadow powers too much, Oswald succumbs to the Belderiver's curse and becomes a Bugbear. Queen Elfaria Although he served as one of Elfaria's elite soldiers, the only instance of them appearing together has Melvin presenting him as a powerful swordsman. Elfaria did express some awe at his fighting prowess, but the two were ultimately indifferent to each other and Oswald shrugged off her death easily. (Although this was because he was still recovering from the shock of the Halja attempting to claim his soul the first time.) Mercedes Mercedes and Oswald only interact twice during their stories: the first time happens during a hub world where their stories intersect. (Chapter 1 of Fairy Land for Mercedes and Chapter 3 for The Black Sword.) The Black Sword version of their conversation reveals that Oswald almost considered killing her on the spot, but held back as he wanted to wait for Melvin's orders. Afterwards, Mercedes fights him during Melvin's failed rebellion and, due to the powers in his sword waning, he loses to her. He doesn't acknowledge her after this, as he's now indifferent to Ringford as a whole. In the manga adaptation, they crossed path once more after Oswald defeated Onyx while Mercedes and Brom went to retrieve the sacred flame at the Fire Kingdom. Both were shocked that not only survived but he also wore the Titrel ring around his neck. Oswald was still cold towards Mercedes when she questioned his intentions with the slumber Gwendolyn in his arms however he was less hostile and bared no grudge towards the new queen in their last battle. As he was leaving, she notes he had changed and he confirmed with a smile it was because of that 'fateful meeting'. Gameplay (PS2) Coming soon! Gameplay (OSL) Coming soon! As a Boss Oswald is only fought once in the game, appearing as the boss of Chapter 2 of Fairy Land. (This is also the only time Mercedes fights another playable character where she isn't a boss, as she's controlled by the player instead.) In both the PS2 version and Leifthrasir, his combat matches up with his standard moveset and abilities. In the original, the boss is at its most difficult whenever his Shadow Form is activated. When this happens, Mercedes is incapable of damaging him and her only option is to avoid him until his power is exhausted, at which point the player has the chance to attack him while he's catching his breath. Avoiding him is difficult due to his speed and even when Mercedes is flying, he's still capable of jumping and hitting her. It's also important to deal with the Elf Casters that assist him during this fight, as they can heal him and make the fight last that much longer. In Leifthrasir, the fight is much easier since Mercedes can avoid his Berserk Mode better thanks to her faster flying speed, although she's still incapable of damaging him during this time. Oswald has access to multiple moves in his skill set such as Crazed Grip, meaning it's still necessary to keep one's distance to effectively avoid getting damaged. Unlike the PS2 version of the fight, Oswald does use potions from time to time, so players have to keep their wits about them. Official Artwork and Merchandise OS Oswald.jpg OS Artbook 13.jpg Oswald in Bed.jpg Oswald Against Odette.jpg Oswald Necklace.jpeg Oswald Shirow Miwa.jpeg Vanillaware Countdown 4.jpeg OSL CHANxCO.jpeg OSL Yuu Kikuchi.jpeg OSL Countdown Kozaki.jpeg OSL Countdown Fujinoki.jpeg OSL Countdown Mota.jpeg Videos Trivia * His Japanese seiyuu is Susumu Chiba. In the English dub, he is voiced by Derek Stephen Prince. * Oswald draws inspiration from the Norse hero Sigurd, with his relationship with Gwendolyn reflecting Sigurd's romance with Brynhildr. ** As one of the survivors of Armageddon, he is also a reference to Leifthrasir, the man who survives Armageddon to repopulate humanity with Leif. * Early designs of his main appearance were very similar to his final design: however, George Kamitani comments in the Leifthrasir Artworks book that they needed to tweak him a little because he looked "too much like a villain." * He doesn't visit the Ringford stage in his story, a trait shared with Cornelius. * Strangely, the runes on the shield-like plates on his chest read "Gallon" and "Titania," even though he doesn't find out about his heritage until the end of the world. * Oswald does hear about Cornelius from a random NPC in his Epilogue chapter: however, it's never stated whether he realizes if he's his cousin or if they meet following the Armageddon. * Of the main male characters (Oswald, Cornelius, Ingway), he is never canonically afflicted with a curse that changes his form. ** In the False Ending if he's pitted against Onyx, he overuses his Shadow Powers and subsequently becomes a Bugbear. * He's the first major male character to get his own separate figurine. (Cornelius appears alongside Velvet in their Alter figurine while Ingway appears in his frog form in both of Mercedes's official figurines.) Category:Playable Characters Category:Protagonists Category:Bosses Category:Royalty Category:Ringford Denizens Category:Titanians